TOPIC #15
New high power battery electrode materials
Research area: High-Power Devices, New Materials & Electrolytes
Keywords: High power batteries, supercapacitors, electrode materials, operando spectroscopies
Supervising team: Olivier CROSNIER (Nantes Univ.) & Andrea BALDUCCI (Jena)
Abstract
The PhD project aims at developing innovative materials for high power devices. We would like to target the synthesis and use of niobium-based oxides due to their particular crystallographic structures allowing the insertion of Li+ and/or Na+ cations without limiting the diffusion of these ions in the material, thanks to the presence of large tunnels. The PhD research project will be carried out with Dr. O. Crosnier in the group of Prof. Brousse at IMN (Nantes, France). They are both experts in materials chemistry and electrochemistry applied to energy storage devices. They have sound expertise in the synthesis and characterization of new materials and their investigations as potential electrodes, coupling advanced spectroscopies and electrochemical tools. During all the duration of the DESTINY project, the PhD student will be involved in a strong collaboration with the group of Prof. Andrea Balducci (Friedrich‐Schiller University of Jena, Germany), which is worldwide known for its innovative research in high power devices
Interest for the student
Expected mobility: Electrochemical investigations will be performed on electrodes prepared from the materials used for project. Advanced analysis techniques such as in situ and operando XRD and X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments will be also be carried out in order to investigate the charge storage mechanism will be investigated in the laboratory as well as in synchrotron facilities. The PhD student involved on the project “New electrode materials for high power devices” at Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes Université in France will make a secondment in Prof. Balducci lab in Jena (Germany) in order to investigate the interfacial processes taking place between the synthesized materials and novel and optimized electrolytes developed in Germany (6 months). During the time of the PhD, the student will attend both national and international conferences, e.g. ISEECap, ICAC, annual ISE or ECS meetings. Furthermore, he/she will attend schools and scientific training organized within the DESTINY project.
Career opportunities: The PhD topic stands at the frontier between fundamental and applied research. The PhD student will have the opportunity to get in close contact with renowned research groups and to acquire a very deep knowledge about solid state chemistry for electrode materials synthesis as well as electrochemistry and electrolyte for energy storage devices. Since the topic is also at the cutting edge of nowadays technological achievements on electrochemical capacitors and related hybrid devices, European as well as International companies working in this field will certainly be interested in the envisioned developments, especially with regard to the increase of energy density of high power devices.
